• Source:JND
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J-K Assembly Election 2024: Congress leader Sahil Farooq filed nomination papers as an independent candidate against National Conference (NC) Vice President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Ganderbal Assembly constituency. Sahil Farooq, who is Congress district president in Ganderbal, defied party directives and justified his decision by accusing the party of neglecting local interests in favour of outsiders.

"Candidates are air-dropped to represent the people of Ganderbal, but the youth of this constituency have now decided not to hand over their political destiny to the outsider," Sahil Farooq said, while filing his nomination papers accompanied by a group of young supporters.

Sahil Farooq's move challenges the pre-poll alliance between the NC and Congress, which agreed to a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Under this per-poll alliance, the NC is set to contest 52 seats while Congress will contest 31. Additionally, one seat each in the Jammu division and the Kashmir Valley has been allocated to the Panthers Party and the CPI-M. 

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The two parties failed to agree on five key seats, including Nagrota, Doda, Bhaderwah and Banihal in the Jammu division and Sopore in the Valley, where they plan to field candidates in what they describe as a "friendly contest."

Sahil Farooq’s defiance could disrupt the alliance between the NC and Congress. If his candidacy remains an isolated incident, the Congress might salvage the partnership by taking disciplinary action against him. However, similar actions by other party members could strain the alliance further.

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Earlier, Omar Abdullah acknowledged the difficulties of forming a pre-poll alliance, stating that the NC had to sacrifice seats where it was confident of winning. The former chief minister claimed that it is not his fight or the fight of his leaders but a collective fight that will bring respite to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The upcoming assembly election will be the first since Jammu and Kashmir’s status was changed to a Union Territory in 2019, with voting scheduled across three phases starting September 18 and the results expected on October 4.

(With Agency Inputs)